Category: wooden boat

Does anyone know the story of a small yacht called Harnser?

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Harnser as she is now

A chap called Nigel has been in touch to appeal for some background knowledge about a boat he has bought as a project. If you know anything that seems relevant please either add it to the comments below or write to me direct at gmatkin@gmail.com.

Here’s what he says:

‘She is called Harnser and has the place name Maldon on her transom. She came ashore on the rock’s below the world famous Golden Cap cliffs on the Dorset coast. A a rescue took place, but the boat was left to the elements.

Fortunately, the weather improved very quickly and she survived long enough for a rescue attempt to be made, and she was taken into Westbay Harbour, where she was lifted out – at which point the bottom was found to be very badly damaged.

At this point the story took a turn for the worse and the boat had to be disposed of. There was quite a lot of newspaper coverage about it at the time which you can see by putting the boat name in Google!

I enclose a picture of her in her current state. I have the mast and some of the rails, but she was partially stripped for repair work and bits went missing… I’m sure somebody could repair her.

I am keen to trace any history of her past and hope you may have somebody in the know among your readers?

Many thanks, Nigel

The sad story of Harnser’s loss appeared in the Western Morning News.


Lovely 1961 clinker-built Norwegian motor-sailer for sale in Kent

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Nissa

THIS BOAT IS NOW SOLD

My friend Alan Thorne is selling his Norwegian motor sailer named Nissa. Photos of her can be found here: http://www.created4life.org/troll33.html

She was built in 1961 and is maintained to a high standard. She has a long keel, 3ft 6in draft and 9ft 6in beam, on an overall length of 33ft. With a clinker hull constructed with mahogany planks fastened with copper roves and nails to oak frames, she’s designed to be a safe, easy-to-sail yacht with attractive accommodation – one could easily live aboard her. She has two berths in the forward cabin, one cosy double and one short single in the main cabin.

Alan has enjoyed several sailing trips on the East Coast of England, and Nissa appears in Classic Boat magazine (Novemberissue, page 7) as part of last year’s Thames Festival Regatta at St Katharine’s Dock, London. Nissa also won the Otterham Cup for classic Bermudan yachts in the 2009 Swale Match.

Engine-wise, she has a Westerbeke 35hp 4 cylinder diesel engine and a 45-gallon stainless steel diesel tank, and she also has the usual selection of instruments and equipment. The latest survey was in Nov 2007, and its recommendations were carried out in 2008 and 2009.

Nissa is lying a berth in Oare Creek, Faversham, Kent, and is priced at £16,500 To view or sail her, call Alan on tel 07865091155.

Refurbished Thames barge Edith May at sea and sailing well

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Thames sailing barge Edith May

Edward Gransden has kindly been in touch with these photos of the Thames sailing barge named Edith May, which has this month been sailing for the first time in ten years or more. Here’s what he says:

‘Please find attached a couple of photos from our first sail. We are intending to charter with individuals and groups up to 12 throughout the summer, operating from Lower Halstow, Chatham and Queenborough.

‘Having spent the past 10 and a half years restoring her, it was a great thrill to be able to take her out sailing for the first time, with her performance proving very pleasing. The Swale Match in August will be the first chance we get to see if she has retained the pace she was once renowned for!’

Thanks Edward! Any time you have photos and stories to share let me know.

It happens that we were over at Lower Halstow this weekend, and found the Edith May in the dock looking very smart. I took some shots with my camera phone – but I’m damned if I can get them out. It’s a better camera than you might think, but the connections and software make me curse!

Here’s an earlier post featuring the Edith May, and here’s a link to the Edith May website.